Intravenous blood collection devices have long been used to draw bodily fluids from patients. Typically, collecting a bodily fluid, such as blood, involves inserting a needle into a vessel or lumen from which the fluid is to be drawn and then collecting the fluid as it flows through the needle.
However, in situations in which the vessel or lumen is small or not visible, it may be difficult to locate the tip of the needle within the vessel. Not only does this have the potential to undermine the integrity of the sample, but a failure to correctly locate the tip of the needle could also cause injury to the patient should the needle come into contact with tissue or organs. As a result, it is desirable to provide a mechanism that allows for confirmation of the correct positioning of the tip of the needle.
In the past, some intravenous blood collection devices have been provided with transparent windows that allow a user to observe a “flash” of blood that confirms that the needle tip is correctly positioned. However, the flash may be small or obscured, meaning that it may be difficult to detect.
Thus, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a blood collection device that provided a user with a clear visual indication of the correct positioning of a needle.
It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.
Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” and its grammatical equivalents shall be taken to have an inclusive meaning unless the context of use indicates otherwise.